Have any of you tried out Nowacs deck grip?
http://www.1below0.com/#!nowacs/c5n1
Any reviews would be much appreciated.
I have ordered some and will try it out once it arrives.
Always on the lookout for something better than wax, 'cause it sucks.
Versagrip was a desaster for me, but I keep on looking…
Cheers, Mik
Be interesting to find out how it comes off for ding repair.
Mik
What were the issues you had with versagrip ?
Versagrip was very problematic because it was slippery under my wetsuit. The board kept shooting out from underneath me in an uncontrollable fashion, while paddling and also when sitting on the board. The grip was OK under foot.
I ended up having to put a bit of wax on it.
I heard from others that they had no issues with slippery wetsuits on Versagrip. I assume that is either due different materials or due to some wax on the wetsuit. I have a full deck grip on all of my regular riders boards, so my wetsuits and rashies are wax free.
Getting the Versagrip back off took me the better part of a day (full deck of an 8ft Nugget). Pulling the plastic off was easy, but most of the glue remained stuck to the board. A citrus based bio-solvent was able to slowly dissolve the glue, but much elbow grease was required.
Try cork .
What cork did you use?
I have used 2MM Corecork on one board and loved it… Plan to use it some more.
I think it was from an ebay seller named Croftcreative and called: "CORK SHEET 915mm x 610mm x 0.8mm CRAFT PROJECTS " .
I would have prefered the 1.2mm versuion but they did not have it in stock.
I get the feeling we’ve been trolled with this thread by the maker of Nowacks but whatever. I can buy a lot of surfboard wax for the $15 or $22 it would cost to do a single board. It would cost a bloody fortune to do my whole quiver. Heck, half the time my local shop gives me my wax anyway. They often throw it in with purchases.
No Mako, not a troll at all.
While I am getting my latest McCoy ready for it’s first surf, I did an internet search and found Nowacs. I also searched for any reviews, both on the net generally and on Swaylocks specifically, but found none.
So I asked.
I have no affiliation with the producer, but have started to exchange some emails after posting this thread. I have ordered 2 mats of Nowacs in the mail to test them out.
I have been trying everything available regarding deck grip, and I have a full deck grip on all of my regular riders.
The chief reason is that the grip is simply much better than wax, at least if you use the kind of stuff that gives you a nasty rash if you surf bare chested. Why else would most surfers use a tail pad, and most SUP’s have a full deck grip?
A deck grip is heavier (particularly once wet) than wax and it costs extra. However, I only surf McCoy’s, they are heavier than most boards and they last. That makes extra weight and cost insignificant. I still have every one I ever bought, since 1998, they all have a full deck grip and a nose guard.
Other important factors are if you like to surf in board shorts and if you leave the board in the car in hot areas, even for a short time. Most full deck grips make surfing in shorts impossible and as you know, wax melts and eventually ends up everywhere. I surf in a 1mm super-strech wetsuit in Summer, it keeps me cool (once wet) and I don’t need to use much sunscreen. It is also less restrictive than standard board shorts.
Regarding price, Nowacs is currently dirt cheap. He tells me he is selling it at cost to find it there is a market.
Maybe I’m in the minority, but I love wax. I love almost everything about it. I like how it smells, feels, I like putting it on my board. I don’t mind taking it off. The smell of surf wax regularly takes me back 30 years to when I was a teenager rewaxing my board every week for those perfect bumps. Just my opinion.
I agree with you J3.
I just hate the mess it makes in the car.
Yeah I love it too, and all the memories and positive associations that come with it. But I hate when it melts in the board bag and my board gets glued to the bag. I will probably always use surf wax, but willing to try some alternatives too.
Not a troll but your last post makes me even more suspiscious. So you have no affiliation but the owner told you he’s selling it at cost to see if there is a market. Is he also deploying you to see if there is a market or get the word out? If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck…most likely it is a duck.
Oooh, I feel so deployed, I can barely stand it.
Nothing I can say will convince you, I fear.
But it’s the truth, anyway.
The 2 sheets should arive tomorrow (I paid for them and I got an email from the post service confirming postage minutes after they would have opened on Monday morning).
I reckon you will use that as more fuel for your conspiracy theory, anyway, but in my books it counts as great customer service.
If it’s crap, I’ll let you know. If it’s very good, then I’ll consider removing the deck grip on the board in the photo and installing the Nowacs instead. The Versagrip was meant to go on that board, had it not turned out to be problematic. I wanted transparent, but I want grip more than looks, so I went for the in-your-face red version:
I’m a big fan of wax. But I also use deck pads on my boards too. Wax on some parts of the board, pads on another part. Horses for courses - use what works best for you in the way you use it is the way I approach it.
Had a look at the Nowacs website and it mentions the length and width of the Nowacs pads… but no mention of the thickness; Mik, do you think you could let us know how thick they are when they arrive and if they could be used as a tail pad (the raised pattern on top of the pads to aid in traction might prevent decent adhesion/allow easy delamination of the pads if you doubled them up to make a nice thick tail pad)?
Cheers!
The two sheets of Nowacs arrived today and I did a bit of ‘in vitro’ testing.
Cons:
When comparing waxed weight to Nowacs’ed weight of my favourite boards, I calculate around 9% to 11% weight increase. Considering that many riders report that the Surftech version at 6kg does not work as well as the PU version at 7kg (=15% more weight), this weight increase appears potentially acceptable.
Pro’s:
Feels grippy on hands, wet or dry. May well be as good or better than wax in the water, pending testing.
Is gripping well on several wetsuits, rashies and board shorts, all of which have next to no traction when using Versagrip, wet or dry. Has similarly good traction to Versagrip on my (wet or dry) booties.
Is very stretchy. Might be hard or easy to remove for repairs, but will in all likelihood prevent many moderate impacts from penetrating the glass and prevent taking in of water. In other words, you could put a fairly decent ding in your board where it is covered by Nowacs, but it will stretch and keep it waterproof although the glass may be shattered.
I think the claim that Nowacs does not cause a rash is probably true-ish, considering that wax also gives you a nasty rash if your skin is not used to it. I cannot be certain until trying it out, but I’m hopeful that this stuff will allow daily surfing in board shorts, once used to it.
Conclusion:
I’m more than happy to order some more Nowacs and stick it on my ‘experimental’ Allround 8ft Nugget.
How’s it, Mr. Mik.
Just as an aside with reference to cork: the stuff that guys have reportedly used successfully for traction is 2mm thick Corecork. The stuff you tried was notably thinner (.8mm). Getting Corecork can be problematic for a regular guy, but if you ask nicely there’s probly somebody nearby who could hook you up. Sounds like you’re in OZ?
